Back-gage for shoe-sewing machines.



B. S. LA FLEUR.

BACK GAGE FOR SHOE SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION man JUNE 22. 19-1-5.

1 ,240,985 Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

I maven/$0 a" Benjamin QS-LQ/FCMi',

BAGK GAGE FOB SHOE-SEWING MACHINES. 1

Application filed June 22, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN S. LA FLntm, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Beverly, county of Essex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in .BackGages for Shoe-Sewing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to inseam shoe sewing machines and more particularly to welt and turn shoe sewing machines for sewing welted and turn-work, and the invention has for its object to improve machines of the class referred to. v

The objects and features of the invention will best be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of a welt and turn shoe sewing machine embodying one formv of said invention selected for the purpose of illustration, it being understood that the invention in its true scope i definitely set forth by the. claims.

Figure 1 is a right-hand side elevation of a sufficient portion of a welt and turn sewing machine, equipped to sew turn-work and embodying the present invention, to enable the invention to be understood;

Fig. 2 is a detail;

Fig. 3 1s a detail on an enlarged scale showing my improved backgage, the needle, the channel guide 4t and the work as it contacts with the gage. I

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of my improved back gage and of the gage supporting arm; and j Fig. 5 is asectional side elevation of said back gage and supporting arm.

Fig. 6 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing my improved. back gage in operative position in the sewing of a turn shoe.

The invention is herein shown as applied to the welt and turn shoe sewing machine described in United States Patent No. 4L12,70t, of October 8, 1889, but it will be apparent that the invention is equally aplicable to other turn shoe sewing machines.

Referring to Fig. 1, the machine is provided with an awl 2, a channel-guide 4, a welt guide slide 6, a thread guide or looper S, a hooked. needle 10, its guide 12, a needlesegment 14, a take-up 16, auxiliary take-up Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Sept. 25, 1917. Serial No. 35,688.

18, a'thread arm, a sliding rest 19, and a tension device, and all of said parts and their actuating mechanisms may and herein have the same general construction, arrangement and mode of operation, except as hereinafter described, as the corre-' sponding parts of the welt and turn machine disclosed invPatent 412,704. above referred to, towhich patent reference may be made for a full description ofsaid parts, further description hereof being therefore deemed unnecessary herein. To these parts is added my improved back gage for use on turned work.

As the present invention applies more particularly to turn shoe sewingmachines, the usual welt guide is omitted, ,the improved back gage embodying my invention being herein secured to the end of the welt guide slide 6 in place of said welt guide.

As already stated, said welt guide slide may be operated in the usualmanner, it being moved positively in both directions by a lever 20 operated by a suitable cam, Fig. 1, and the slotted link 22 which embraces the screw stud 24E projecting from one side, of the welt guide slide 6. A block 26 is placed in the slot of said link 22, said block being provided with a screw'stud 28, Fig. 2, by which to adjust and secure said block in the slot of said link, thus shortening or lengthening the slot according as it is desired to shorten or lengthen the throw of the welt guide slide and back gage 7 spring 30 secured at one end to said lever 20 and at the other end to said stud 24 acts normally to keep the slide forward with its pin 32 against an adjustable stop 34, but should said spring for any cause fail to ad vance the back gage into correct position at the proper'time, then the link '22 in its forward movement, preparatory to the entrance of the needle into the work, acts through the stud 24 to carry thewelt' guide and back gage forward into correct position. After the needle arrives at its lowest position, and while it rises to draw the loop, the welt guide slide 6 is locked in its forward position in well known manner by a pawl 36 which engages for that purpose a toothed block 38 fast on the welt pawl 36 being controlled by a lever 40 ac-. tuated by a suitable cam, a spring .42 tend ing to maintain said pawl in engagement with the toothed block 38. v

guideslide 6, said In the embodiment of the'i-nvention herein shown and described,.my novel back gage 7' for use in operating, upon turn-work is mounted upon an arm 44 bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the; welt guide slide 6, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. Said back gage-isfreely movable relative to its supporting member or arm 44 and to that end, said gage, in the embodiment'th'ereof herein disclosed, consists of a wheel or disk 46 mounted for free rotation upon a screw stud 48 fast in the free end of the supporting arm 44, as shown in Fig.4, Preferably, the disk 46 'will be capable of a certain amount of play upon the stud 48 to enable itto move somewhat transversely to its plane of rotation. [The upperand lower surfaces of the disk will preferably be concave, as shown at 50 and 52, and the peripheral surface of'said disk 54 will also preferably be concave, said disk being of somewhat greater diameter at its top than at its bottom, so as to cause the upper edge of said peripheral surface to project somewhat beyond the lower edge thereof.

f In'operation, my novel gage engages the edge ofjthe shoe, that is to say, the lining 56 or upper 58 with its peripheral surface substantially where they extend over the outer edge of the sole. As the work 'pro' gresses,"the gage can rotate freely,.thus

eliminating friction between the gage and) the-work, and said gage-can also move transversely'to the plane of the sole to adapt itself 'to' any irregularities in the sole, upper or lining, The'oper'ation of sewing turn shoes is thus greatly facilitated. Heretofore, in sewing turn shoes, the sole'had previously to pass through an operation mown as crimping, whereby the edge of the sole was molded or bent downwardly so as to assure that in the sub'sequentsewing operation the needle would penetrate-the upper and sole at the required distance from the edge ,ofth'e sole, and not at'or too close to theedge' of the latter. My improved gage does away with the crimping." operation, that is tosay, no priorpreparation of the sole in the stock room is necessary, it being possible when using my improved gage, to stitch the upper and lining to the soles of 'turnlshoes just as they come from the channeler, for the reas'on that the projecting fl'ange at the top edge of the disk 7 bends the sole down as the work proceeds and prevents the needle from striking the edge of the sole and "from penetrating the upper at the upper and the sole at a sufficient distance inwardly from the edge ofthe latter.

' Furthermore, the use of my improved gage by' thus eliminating the crimping operaoperation, to which the soles'of turn shoes were heretofore necessarily subjected after the sole had been the wrong place, the needle always enteringoperation, as is well known to those skilledin the art, is largely for the purpose of taking out of the sole the crimp produced therein by-the crimping operation. It will thus be seen that by using my improved gage in stitching turn shoes, two operations heretofore necessary in making turn shoes are eliminated.

Bymaking the upper surface of the gage concave, the needle in its normal operation is afforded afree and'unimpeded path of movement. The back gages of the construction and mode'of operation heretofore used tosew turn shoes'had the disadvantage that when brought into contact with the work they tended to push the upper and edge of the sole upwardly, thus causing'the needle to penetrate the upper and sole in too close proximity to the upper edge ofthe sole as the latter was held in sewing: position, or even between theupper and lower edge of the sole'as the work was held in position in the machine; As a result, the sewing was very irregular and the appearance of the finished shoe was 1 greatly impaired, the stitches being visible in the completed shoe and the upper'not'infrequently being lacer ated. As a result also the work was greatly weakened. This wasaptto occur even with a perfectly normal needle and still more frequently when the needle: was sprung or devi'ated from its regular path for any other reason. Such a result is impossible when my improved gage is used, for the reason thlatas the upper edge of my gageoverlaps the edge ofthe sole, the latteris protected from penetration for a "certain distance'from its edge inwardly, by the needle,'even= in case the latter, owing to its being sprung orvfor any other reason, would tend to penetrate the sole too close to the edge of the latter, since such a' needle would necessarily in its penetrating movement encounter the upper concave surface of the gage and could not penetrate the upperuntil its point had passed or slid over the edge of the gage. R-ipping'of"soles and'uppers-by the needle is thus precluded and my improved gage provides-for the penetration ofthe work v was'materi'ally I slowed -up.- To meet thisdiili'c'ulty,

. along a line at a substantially uniform'disingof such portions ofthe work where the 1 use of the gage was absolutelyessentia'lyas' when sewing around the toe of the shoe. As a result, the operator was without the aid of a back gage during the major portion of the sewing operation and had to regulate and control the sewing operation entirely by the eye and guide the shoe entirely by hand. To turn out good work under these conditions required an expert and really rapid work was impossible. As pointed out in the preceding paragraph, the disadvantages attending the use of back gages as heretofore constructed and operated are overcome when my improved gage is used, so that my gage can be used in sewing all parts of the shoe and the operator is thus not obliged to watch the work as closely. Much more rapid work can thus be done when using my improved gage and an operator of ordinary ability can in a short time turn out more work than could an expert under former conditions.

It will be seen that, as the gage presses the marginal portion of the sole downwardly at the point where and as the needle enters the upper surface of said marginal portion of the sole, the point at which the needle enters the sole is lowered, so that the curved needle in its upward swing along its curved path of movement is caused to emerge at substantially the bottom of the channel. The stitch is thus located in the widest portion of the between substance, thus adding to the strength of the seam as the stitches are much less liable to tear through.

As already stated, my improved gage can yield vertically when struck by the needle, whereby breakage of needles, even when the latter are sprung, is practically avoided.

By making the under surface of the gage concave substantially as shown at 52, Fig. 4, I allow for wax, and all clogging by wax, etc., is precluded.

My improved gage offers other advantages besides those above set forth, all of which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

My improved gage is moved toward and from the work at the proper times during the operation of the machine by the slide 6, said slide and its actuating mechanism being constructed and operating as previously stated in all respects substantially as in United States Patent 412,704, above referred to and in United States Patent.317,759, and so need not herein be further specifically described. It will'be apparent to those skilled in the art that while herein my improved gage is shown as operated by the actuating mechanism disclosed in the two United States patents above referred to, said gage could be operated with equal advantage by any other suitable actuating mechanism, such for example as the welt gage operating mechanism disclosed in United States Patent 1,108,560 and it is-to be understood,

therefore, that my invention is not to be considered as limited in any way, shape or manner to any specific actuating mechanism.

It will be apparent that while the invention has herein been described as embodied in the details illustrated, the invention is not to be considered as circumscribed or limited to these details, or any of them, since they may be variously modified within the true scope of the invention which is definitely set forth by the claims.

Claims.

1. In a turn shoe sewing machine, in combination, a gage carrying member; a gage carried by said member and provided with a work engaging surface to be engaged by the edge of the shoe as the latter is held in position to be sewed on the machine, said gage being movable relatively to said member, transversely to the plane of the sole of the shoe to be sewed; and mechanism to move said gage carryingmember to bring the gage 1nto operatlve ,positlon.

2. In a turn shoe sewing machine, in combination, a gage carrying member; a gage mounted for rotation on said member and for movement transversely to its plane of rotation; a concave work engaging surface provided on said gage; and mechanism to move said gage carrying member to bring the gage with its work engaging surface into operative position to be engaged by the edge of the shoe as the latter is held in position to be sewed on the machine.

3. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a curved needle arranged to pierce the shoe from the outside and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole; and a rotary gage provided with a work engaging surface to engage the edge of the shoe and extend inwardly over the edge of the sole, as the shoe is held in position to be sewed on the machine, and press the marginal portion of the sole downwardly relatively to the rest of the sole at the point where and as the needle penetrates said marginal portion.

4. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a curved needle arranged to pierce the shoe from the outside and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole; and a gage rotatable in the direction of feed of the shoe and provided with a peripheral work engaging surface adapted ,to engage the edge of the shoe and to extend inwardly over the edge of the sole, as the shoe is held in position to be sewed on the machine, and press the marginal portion of the sole downwardly relatively to the rest of the sole at the point where and as the needle penetrates the sole, to cause the needle to pierce the marginal portion of the sole at a point inwardly from the edge of the sole and to emerge in the channel substantially at the base of the latter.

5. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a. curved needle arranged to pierce the shoe irom the outside and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole; and a rotary gage to extend inwardly over the edge of the'sole, v

as the shoe is held in positionto be sewed on the machine, and press the marginal portion of the sole downwardly relatively to' the rest of the sole at the point where and as the needle penetrates the sole, so as to causefthe needle to enter the marginal portionof the soleat a point inwardly from theedge thereof and to emerge substantially at the bottom 7 of the channel.

6. In a shoe sewiug machine, the combination of a-curvedneedle arrangedto plerce the shoe from the outslde and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole; and a rotary'gage v provided ,witlila concave work engaging surface to engagethe edge of the shoe and extend inwardly over the edge of the 'sole, as the shoe is held in position to be sewed ion the machine, and press the marginal portion ofthe sole downwardly relatively to the rest of the sole at the point where and as'the needle penetrates said marginal portion, said gage being shaped at its under surface to prevent the accumulation of wax thereon.

7. In a turn shoe sewing machine, in combination, a curved needle arranged to pierce' the shoe from the. outside and emerge from,

a channel in the shoe sole; a rotary gage provlded with a concave, per pheral, work engaging surface; a gage supporting mem her; and actuating mechanism for said memher to move the gage into position to cause its work engaging surface to be engaged by the edge of the shoe and extend inwardly over the edge of the sole and press the marginal portion of the sole downwardly relatively to the rest of th'e'sole at the point where and as the needle penetrates said mar gin'al portion, as the shoe is presented in po sition to be sewed on the machine.

8, In a shoe sewing machine, the combination with curved needle arranged to pierce the sl1oe f rom the outside and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole, of the rotatablegage 7provided with the work engaging surface 4c6 shaped to engage the edge of thesole and to extend inwardly over the edge ofthe sole and press the latter downwafrdly at the point where and as the needle penetrates the sole, asthe shoe is held in positionto be sewed on the machine.

' tIftItBS the sole.

essee 9, In, a shoe sewing 1nachine,,,the;, combi-U nation with zuciirved needle arr z inged, to pierce the shoe from the outs ide emer e 7 from a. channel ,in the shoe sole of the rota-T table gage ,7 -.h'aving' the upper concave: su r face'50 and the peripheralworkfengaging j surface 46 shaped toi en'gage theledge oi" the? sole and to extend inwardly over the, edge, of the sole and press t'he latter downwardly atthe'point whereand as the' needle, peneas the shoefis heldzin position tobesewed'on the machine, I

10, Ina's oe se'ivinginachine,thecombination withfa curved needlearrangedfto pierce the, shoe from theloutside and emerge from a channel in the shoe sole, of the' rota, table gage'7 having thelo'wer concave sur face 52 and theperipheral workengagingi" surface lGsh'aped to engage the edge of'the sole and to extend inwardly overt-he of the sole and press the latter downwardly: at the point where an d as the needle penetrates the sole, as th'elshoe' is held'inposi: tion to be sewed on the 1nachine. 1 I z l i 11. shoe sewing machine, the, combi;v nation of a curved needle arranged o pierce the shoe from the outside and emerge from L a channel the sole; a gage' ino'untedv to yield transversely of th'eplarie' or thes'ole and provided witha surface to engagerthe j edge of the shee and having its edge extend ing inwardly o'ver the edgeof the/marginal portion of the sole as the sho is held in p' of sition to be sewed on the, machine, and press v the marginal portion ofthe sole downwardly at the point whe and as the needle pene trates said inarg il portiomsaid gage being also provided witha p'ortionptojbe engaged by the needle in its forward stroke and'guide its point into engagement withthe upper surface of' the marginalp'ortion of the solef at a point inwardly from itsfledge 12. In a turn shoe sewing machine, in combination, a gage carrying member a gage mounted for rotation on' said member and movable transversely to its plane of rotation; and a concave wo lr engaging surface provided on said gage. I a

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses BENJAMIN s. .LA

WVitnesses:

Ronis ri'r H. KAMMLER, BERTI-IA DAVID.

FLEUR.

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